Alphabetical Alice
by Jinxing The World
Summary: A collection of one-shots, one for each letter of the alphabet. The stories mainly have to do with Alice x Hatter. They are currently rated T, but may go up to M with later chapters. The chapters will be updated weekly for 26 weeks.
1. A is for Alice

This is the first one shot in a set of 26. Each one shot corresponds to a letter in the alphabet. This first story is A for Alice. I hope you will enjoy this story.

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"Alice!" The Hatter shouted rather loudly. He sounded as if he had just come up with something… some kind of amazing breakthrough.

"Yes Tarrant?" Alice said softly in the most soothing voice she could muster.

She had returned over a month ago, and the Hatter was still having moments like this where he would simply forget that she had already returned. In these moments, he would believe that she had just come back, and depending on his mood, he would react differently. Usually, he was excited and happy to see her, but a couple of his more recent episodes had caused fear in Alice.

In one incident he had become depressed to the point that he had cried calling her a "delusion" and a "nightmare". When she had tried to comfort him and insure that she was real, he had attempted to take his own life with a pair of sewing scissors. She remembered how fearful she had been before he luckily had snapped out of it. His other episode had involved him being violent towards her. He had screamed terrible things at her, and had struck her. Luckily and for her sake, he had returned to normal after hitting her. He had actually been so upset with himself afterwards that he barely ate for weeks… He was just currently getting over that, and they had just been eating Dinner in their windmill home when his current attack had started. Her fear over these "attacks" had brought Alice to ask the White Queen for assistance and advice. The Queen had told her simply that it would get better with time, but it was no comfort for moments like this.

"Alice…?" He repeated, this time in a questioning tone.

"Yes Tarrant… I'm right here… Do you need something?" She had found personally that saying his actual name seemed to calm him a bit, as well as her attempts to bring him back to Earth with ties to what was currently going on.

He stared at her for a moment, looking like he was lost in the wave of his own thoughts and emotions. He was obviously out of it, at least a little by the look on his face as he stood up from his chair at their kitchen table and walked towards an already standing Alice.

As he walked in her direction, Alice internally panicked. She knew that when he had his episodes he wasn't in control of himself, and that if he hurt her, it wasn't truly his fault. This scared her more deeply, usually the Hatter wouldn't hurt a fly, but out of control, he seemed to be a natural born killer. When he reached her, he moved suddenly towards her, and Alice, expecting a blow tensed up and braced for impact… only to find that the Hatter was holding her tightly to his chest… holding her and hugging her… he meant her no harm.

With this in mind, Alice relaxed into his grip, his warmth was comforting to her and his protective, loving grip on her was working to ebb the river of tears she hadn't known had started to flow.

"Alice…" He repeated for the third time, this time sounding calm and content. His lips were mere inches from her ear as he spoke, his warm breath teasing strands of her hair and tickling her ear.

From the situation she had expected to this, there was a complete difference… She melted in his arms, his loving touch transforming her previous fears into curiosity for what he planned on doing next. She nuzzled her face in towards his neck and put her lips on his pulse point, feeling the need to be as close to him as physically possible.

He picked her up and into his arms in one quick motion, and carried her bridal style into their bedroom. It was quite the change of events, but Alice was too lost in the moment to care. She just kept her face tucked into his neck and enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms. She wondered what would happen next, but she knew that no matter what it was, she loved him and he loved her back. Even on his worst days she knew that for a fact, and it was the most comforting thing in the universe.

Rather than set Alice on the bed once he reached their room, he sat down on the bed and kept her in his lap. He held her tightly to him, keeping her close without any plans to let her go anytime soon. He sighed lightly and laid down with her, pulling her next to him on their bed. "Do you know what A is for Alice?" He asked gently as he moved a hand up to play with her hair while the other hand and arm kept her pressed against him.

When he had carried her from their kitchen and into their bedroom, she wasn't sure what to expect, but she had had some ideas. The very last thing she would have expected however was this. The last thing she would have expected was to be playing twenty questions with a Hatter who was just as curious as she was. She may have not expected it, but that didn't mean that she disliked it, actually it was on the contrary, she was thus far enjoying their time on the bed, and she could never say that she disliked the way he was holding her. Being so close to him made her feel warm inside, and him playing with her hair made her feel tingly for lack of a better description.

"Adequate?" she half answered half asked, ready to play his game.

"No." He replied as he gently curled and uncurled her hair around his finger.

"Amusing?" She asked again, knowing that she could guess a million words but never get whatever was in the Hatter's mind.

"Close, but not quite…" He said as he used his fingers to make circles on her back with the hand that was holding them together.

"Angel?" She tried again, curious as to what Tarrant was getting to with his little game.

"Still no, but I think I'll just let you know now since you keep getting close." He let go of her hair and let it fall back into place as he let go of her and sat up. "A is for amazing…" He said as he quickly grabbed her hand.

"A is for adore…" he said raising her hand in his to his lips and placing on it a lingering soft kiss. Alice felt goose bumps go up her arm as she did so. She was still not entirely sure where this was all going, but she liked the way they were getting there.

"A is for addiction…" he said as he released her hands and put a hand gently on her chest to keep her from sitting up as he sat near her legs.

He got a look on his face like the face a child makes before he does something naughty, and it made Alice half worry and half get excited about what he was going to do next. Shivers ran up her spine in anticipation of what would happen next.

He in one sudden motion that she did not expect, leaned over her body. His hands were on either side of her head, holding him mere centimeters above her. They were so close that she could feel his breath on her face as he said, "A is for arouse…" in his thick, sexy Scottish brogue.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she gasped, she hadn't expected him to do anything like this, and while she loved seeing this new side of him, it made her shiver… it was so dark… so lusty… so sexual. They had yet to do anything like this, and she found herself not knowing what to do next, so she did the only thing she could think to do… she let go. She lifted her face slightly until her lips met his in a passionate kiss.

After a moment of kissing, the mad man pulled Alice and turned so that his front was to her back. He spoke breathily into her ear, "A is for All those things… A is for Alice."

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Please review, the next chapter should be up very soon.


	2. B is for Beach

Alice laughed as she romped through the waves as they rolled onto the beach. She had never even dreamed that her wonderland was so vast and diverse from the small parts of it that she was used to. She had never guessed that, mere miles from the edge of Tugley wood, there was a beautiful ocean and beach just waiting for her to explore them. She had never been to a nice sandy beach before, and though she had swam in a lake, this was a different experience entirely.

The Hatter had offered her a vacation of sorts, a tour of some of the different places she had never before visited in Underland. He told her that she had been to this very beach as a child, but she didn't honestly remember.

She was having so much fun she could barely believe it, her curly hair was down and bouncing on her shoulders as she ran. She couldn't help but giggle every time her feet touched the water. She was wearing a sunhat and a sundress, both of which had been gifts to her from Tarrant. She had protested against him giving her gifts, but he told her that he needed to catch up on many years birthdays and un-birthdays that he had missed. After he told her that, she let it go, she knew that he had probably made them both personally for her, and that he had more than likely enjoyed doing so.

The longer she was in the water, the wetter her dress got. Soon the white cotton dress was soaked through, and its skirt clung to her legs.

She spotted the Hatter on the shore walking this way and that, probably looking for shells or sea glass. He had told her earlier that doing so was his main reason for going to the beach usually. He hadn't told her why this was so, but she had a pretty good guess. It was more than likely because they were beautiful, and with a past like the hatter's, one could never have too much beauty.

She ran out of the salty water and left footprints on the muddy, wet, sand on the edge of the water where ocean meets land. She continued to run at him as she hit the dry sand of the beach. The coarse, dry, white sand was easily kicked up by her rushed steps, and it clung to everything that was even remotely moist. By the time she reached the Hatter, she was truly a sight to see. Her hair was undone and was flowing wildly behind her with the light ocean breeze. The sun kissed every strand and it was slightly damped and texturized by the salty and humid briny air. She was finely coated from foot to knee with a thin layer of shining white sand crystals, which sparkled gaily in the sunlight. Her eyes were twinkling with a childlike glee, and a wildness that could only be compared to the look of the eyes belonging to a wild jungle cat. Her once perfect dress was now completely soaked in all parts and was covered in a thin layer of sand crystals similar to the ones on her legs. Her soaked through dress was now completely transparent and allowed view of her undergarments… or lack thereof in Alice's case due to her extreme hatred of corsets.

"Tarrant!" Alice shouted gleefully as she jumped up into his always awaiting arms.

The Hatter had become accustomed, as of late, to have his arms always at the ready and open for Alice. Since she had returned to Underland, she had loosened up and relaxed quite a bit. She was no longer the business woman she had been in the Upperland, but she had kept all the tact and cunning. Also, since her return, Tarrant had felt his sanity much improve. She was still the White Queen's champion, and he was still mad from mercury, but together they seemed a bit more… normal, if such a thing could be possible in Underland.

He smiled and caught her up into his arms, he loved Alice more than hatting and far more than the air he breathed. He held her close to him and simply on an insanity fueled whim, decided to pick her up a little higher and swing her around in circles until she giggled like a little girl. After setting her down and holding her so she could gain her balance, he let go of her completely.

He looked at her and noticed something that he hadn't just moments before. He had felt that her dress was damp, but now seeing her and actually looking closely, he saw the dress was completely soaked through. The fabric was now translucent and he was seeing something he definitely shouldn't. His pale white cheeks went bright red and hot with embarrassment. They were the only two on the beach, so she was safe from the prying eyes of others, but she was definitely not out of his view.

Had they been dating, engaged, or married, her less than clad state wouldn't have bothered him so much, but currently they were in an awkward stage in their relationship. Neither had asked the other to date or go steady, but they were clearly in love. He wanted so badly to ask her, but was far too worried that she would say no… he wasn't sure he could deal with her rejection. Currently, in his situation he felt as if he were seeing something that was not meant for his eyes. It felt wrong to gaze upon her when she was so exposed… especially because she didn't know that this was so. He, as wrong as he knew it was, wanted to keep looking at her… she was so perfect, so beautiful, and so radiant. He wanted so desperately to continue to look upon her, but was too much of a gentleman to do so. Instead of doing as he wanted, he chided himself for not making her a dress of a darker color and turned an even brighter shade of red than he had been previously. He looked at her once more and tried to warn her of her current state. "Alice…your dress… I…" He could barely stammer out his warning, and was unable to say anything more. As it seemed, the cat had his tongue. He turned away from her and tried to calm his embarrassment, hoping she understood his message.

Alice, confused by what the Hatter had just said, looked down to see that her dress was very, very, see through. She blushed for a moment and was very glad that she had taken to wrapping her chest with cloth rather than wearing a corset or nothing at all. With her chest covered still, and her underwear showing, a very embarrassed Alice laughed beside herself. He seemed far more embarrassed about her clothing malfunction than she was herself. She was glad that he was, so kindly, trying to keep her comfortable and innocent of her unintentional deed, but after a moment or two, she quite frankly didn't care about it at all. Normally, under the rules of a proper English society, she would be currently branded as an impure and improper young woman. She would been a wench and an adulteress simply for showing her undergarments to a man to whom she was not married, but, she did not worry still. She was not in England, she was in Underland. She was sure that her small breech of propriety would be overlooked and subsequently forgotten in this land of Insanity and madness.

"It's okay… you can turn around…" She said with a blush. She was in love with Tarrant, and she was honestly not too afraid of him seeing her half naked. He already knew her dress size and measurements… the embarrassed about her body image ship had set said long ago, and she was not about to board now.

He slowly turned around to where he could almost face her again boasting a blush larger than hers. "Are you sure?" He asked cautiously as if he were unsure of whether or not she had just said what he thought she said.

"Yes… I'm sure…" She said slowly and gently. She matched his caution with her voice and words. She emphasized her pronunciation to ensure him that it was truly what she wanted.

He paused for a moment, then cautiously turned to face her completely. It wasn't as if she wasn't clothed or something like that… she was still dressed and fully clothed… it just ended up that what she was clad in was a bit revealing. He again felt bad that he had personally made and given the dress to her as a gift. He hoped that she didn't think that this whole fiasco had been his plan from the start, when truly it had not been and was due only to terribly poor planning on his part.

He looked at her, her wide eyes were twinkling just the way they had been when he spun her, there was nothing seemingly wrong other than the scarlet blush on her cheeks. Suddenly, and beside himself, he began to laugh. There was just something that was simply hysterical about their current situation… he couldn't help himself but crack up.

Rather than ask him why he was laughing, Alice just smiled, he truly was a ridiculously mad man. She had always known that he was inane, but she couldn't help herself but love him even more for it. So instead of fearing or even thinking about what would happen next, she took his hands and lead him back into the water with her. Her dress rewet itself and so did his clothing. His white button up shirt soaked through, as did his black slacks as soon as they touched the water. The rest of his clothes were back on the shore awaiting their return home, but neither was worried about clothing or home at the moment. Their lips slanted on each other's in their first ever kiss… it was a kiss that lovers shared, and a kiss with a silent, unspoken agreement that was as natural and powerful as the waves crashing on the beach.

As they kissed their salt spray flavored kisses, they both understood something that neither had said. They were in love, no mere embarrassing situation would change that, not would being embarrassed ever get them anywhere. There was a certain madness about it, their love was so strange, yet so natural at the same time… like the northern lights or the deepest depths of the sea. They were things so naturally occurring, but still people ask questions, curious whys and hows… but they wouldn't let that bother them, just as nature does not need the approval of humans.

As their kisses meshed slowly with holding and the sea around them, they were two souls completely intertwined with internal peace. They did not need to speak, it was just known… they were dating and they had been for a long time. Neither had acknowledged it until now, and it hadn't been said aloud. There was a lot ahead of them and a lot behind them, but they had the present, and the miraculous gift it gave them… a sense of security in nature and a silent promise. As mad as they both were, it seemed that they were mad for each other and completely, totally, and irrevocably, madly in love.


	3. C is for Child

Sorry about my Updates taking forever as of late. I don't have internet acess in my house right now and I have to wait to upload until my mother drives me a half hour to get to the closest public library with wifi. I promise that the update speed will be much faster during the school year when I can get on more often. Sorry also that this is so short, it just seemed to be perfect in a little over six hundred words. Well Please Read and Review :) D will be up soon!

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Holding her in my arms for the first time… it was something that I would never forget… She was my best creation ever, but she was not a piece of cloth or a hat. No, she was instead a labor of love, equal parts my own and my beautiful wife. She was the most perfect thing I had ever seen, my sweet baby girl.

For the first time in my life I felt my inner madness completely subside, it dulled away until my mind was completely clear. It was then that I decided that nothing in my life thus far had truly mattered, because now I had a daughter and with that, my life truly began.

Together, Alice and I had created something beautiful… we had created a life. She was a tiny little life at birth, small in size and light in weight. Now however, she was still small, but so very full of life, it radiated from her with her every move.

Now the ripe old age if five, my little love came tottering after me like a lost puppy. Her eyes twinkled in a sparkling array of colors, which like mine, matched her current mood. They were blue right now, a color that showed her happiness. Her little blonde pin curls were up in blue ribbons that bounced as she walked along after me. She was Daddy's little girl, a thing of perfection, and other than her mother, she was the only thing I truly cherished. She was so like her mother too… So inquisitive and curious about her world that it had gotten her into trouble more than one time.

Some in Underland wished that we had never taught her to walk or talk with her every step seeming to get in the way and her every word a question of "what" or "why"… but the old white rabbit would just have to get over it like everyone else had. Even Chess had begun to enjoy the little girl's curiosity, though it had taken him quite some time to get over the tail pulling she had given him.

"Daddy?" She said from behind me. We were now in my hatting workshop where she loved to play with ribbons and scraps of fabric.

"Yes Darling?" I answer with a smile, there was no knowing what she would say next, but with her age I would guess that it would be another question.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk? No one will tell me…" She said with a little pout while fiddling with a bit of silk from her scrap box.

"Well Sweetie…" I said with a bit of a chuckle, "That's because nobody knows, not even mommy or daddy." Sometimes my little girl was just a tad too smart… sometimes I wondered if she would surpass me in knowledge by the age of ten.

"Oh…" She said with a thoughtful look on her face, her features contorted like that reminded me of her mother in her youth. "Well… that makes sense…"

I laughed lightly as I added a pin to a hat. She was my baby girl always and forever, but she seemed to be growing up too quickly for me. I feel like every year is just a blink of the eye… it's hard to believe my baby girl is five… but then something happens that reminds me just how young she is. I lose track of time while working and after a while her questions and noises lessen. When I no longer hear the pitter patter of her tiny feet it is eight o'clock and she is lying fast asleep on a pile of fabric.

I smile as I lift her up and carry her to her room. I put her into her pajamas and tuck her into bed as her mother watches with a smile from the doorway. I kiss her little forehead, "Goodnight Kinzey…" I whisper as I think to myself, 'you will always be my baby girl.'


	4. D is for Dear Alice

Hello dearest readers! I just wanted to say thank you so very much for your continued support of Alphabetical Alice despite my wonky update schedule. I assure you that when school starts (week after next), I will have better access to the internet so that I can update. I will also have more time to write because as a general rule I space out in class and have nothing better to do (God only knows how I'm in the top five of my class...). This has been kicking around in one of my notebooks for quite some time now, and it took me forever to type up simply because I couldn't remember what notebook I wrote it in. I finally found it, and I am now very happy to say it is completely ready to be read. I have the next chapter E is for Eyes ready, but I have nothing prepared for F. Please give me your ideas for this, or vote on which you'd like best by reviewing (My ideas will be at the conclusion of this story.).

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_Dear Alice, _

_I anxiously await your return, I miss you terribly and there is so much I need to tell you. Of the things I must tell you, very few can be said in this letter, because, I being a gentleman, feel I should tell you myself. _

_First I'd like you to know that my work as royal hatter to the White Queen is going wonderfully! It's nice to have a normal sized head to hat for once. On the same topic, I've reopened my hat shop and am running it out of my windmill home. Business if pretty good, I recently hatted two mice and a turtle. I've also hatted all of our friends; the Tweedle's especially enjoy their matching fezzes. Also, I've made Chess an almost exact copy of my hat, even down to the singed and charred parts. Personally I believe that it was some of my best work, and it has made the relationship between Cheshire and myself far more… civil. I still don't forgive him for all he' done, nor am I at all forgetting his betrayal, but the fact that he is no longer trying to steal my hat is boosting both of our moods._

_Maliumpkin has also been employed by the Queen as head of the mouse guard, an elite all mouse section of her majesty's royal guard. Mali gives orders and "Calls the shots" for over three hundred mouse soldiers. She is quite proud of her position!_

_Thackery works in the palace kitchen, and when he's not too busy breaking things or staring at spoons, he actually is quite the chef! I had, just last week, eaten one of his pies, and other than a pair of random, misplaced, tongs being baked into the pie, I dare say it was the best thing I had ever tasted._

_The Queen is kind as usual and allows us all to keep our jobs regardless of any mistakes we may have made. She takes our bad with our good, and takes our madness with good grace. She doesn't seem to care that we're all crazy, she just smiles at us, speaks kindly, and laughs when it is appropriate to do so. She truly is a saint, I'm sure that anyone else would have us straight jacketed and sent to the asylum by now…_

_Alice, when are you coming home? I miss you, and more than once I've thought about leaving here to look for you in the Upperland… I know it's your world up there, but it's not where you belong… you belong with me, here in my world of insanity… please come back… I have my hat shop, a job, a home, good friends… everything I should want, but all I want is you._

_Alice, I love you… please come home…_

_-Tarrant Hightopp _

As he signed it, he knew that he had said too much, admitted too much, but it didn't matter anyway. He set the letter on the large stack of letters on his writing desk… they were all for her, but she would never receive them, they would never be sent… She was a world away, and he knew it would never happen… So he tortured himself writing letters for her that she would never read. It hurt him badly to do so, but it somehow gave him a little closure. It was like a soldier writing a letter to a fallen comrade… a letter to a dead man… unnecessary, but something that someone feels they must do so personally.

He looked at the stack and a tear rolled down his cheek, he wished she had them all, the scraps of paper full of news and well wishing. He wished that she had the letter he had just wrote, the letter confessing his love for her. Most of all he wished that they were together.

"Dear Alice…" he said aloud with tears in his eyes. He had no pen in hand, letting his voice write the words in the air rather than on paper. "I miss you. Since you've been gone, my heart has broken into pieces. My heart is as fragmented as my mind, and I can't think of a way to fix either of them… except you. You're my cure. I'm frightened Alice, you're all I think about anymore, and without you I feel lost. I don't know how I've lived all this time without you all this time… I remember when you came here for the first time as a child. I had been so confused and crazy from the mercury that I saw a child who had never had an 'unbirthday', but now that you're grown… there's so much more to you… You have so much might and so much muchness… not to mention that you're beautiful… I miss you, I could say it a million times that I miss you. Even though I know the Upperland truly is your world, I can't stand living here without you… I wish… I wish…" He did not finish the sentence, he couldn't. He was too choked up to speak another word, and with his tears freely flowing he couldn't do anything. He sunk down to his knees and sobbed, without Alice, he was a broken man.

"What do you wish?" A soft and gentle voice asked from behind him. He heard soft footsteps come in his direction… the steps were soft and barely audible, but they were too loud to be Mali's and the voice didn't match her's or the queen's… No this voice was soft and gentle and familiar coming to him straight out of his dreams… Yes, that must be it… he was dreaming… but if he really was, he never wanted to wake up again.

That's when he saw her, that angel to deliver him from his nightmare. Her soft blonde curly hair bouncing as she moved to sit in front of him, and her beautiful eyes twinkled with sadness. He stopped crying then, he allowed the tears to flow down his face as he blinked the rest of them from his eyes. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. "Alice?" He asked, half astonished and half puzzled. How could she have come right when he needed her most?

"Yes Tarrant… It's me." She said gently, but her eyes were still sad. She was acting to him like how one would act towards a wounded animal, with sympathy and caution… not knowing how close one could get before they would be scratched or bitten.

He knew that she was real because he could smell her perfume as she moved… it was heavenly, but he needed to reassure himself that she was truly there. He reached out and pulled her closer towards him. The sudden force and her shock made them fall over rather than just sit close like he had wanted. No, he ended up with more than he bargained for because he had landed on his back and ended up with her on top of him. Their resulting position was a bit awkward and embarrassingly close, but it was comfortable over all so he did not move. Though she was obviously nervous about their position, Alice did not move either.

"Alice." He said again, this time it was a statement rather than a question, and it was followed by a contented sigh. Alice, his one and only love, had returned to him. She was now laying on him, on the floor of his hatting workshop. They were in front of his writing desk, but she was safely tucked in his arms where he hoped that she would stay.

Alice smiled down at him, "McTwisp brought me some of the letters Tarrant… he snuck them from you and brought them to the Upperland for me." She said it, and her smile changed to a look of slight guilt, "At first I thought it was wrong because they were stolen… but they were addressed to me, and I didn't see the harm in reading them…"

Tarrant's mind was boggled, the white rabbit, the Queen's herald, had been coming to his workshop for many reasons lately. He had come to be fit for hats, to purchase and pick up hats for the Queen and her court… There was no doubt in his mind that he could have done it, but the question was why? Why would he take the letters from his desk and bring them to Alice? Whatever the answer was, at the moment, he didn't care. He had Alice in his arms and that was all that mattered to him.

"So what were you wishing for?" Alice asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as usual. She had walked in after coming down to Underland to see him, only to find him crying on the floor, speaking to himself, and wishing for something that he did not say. She had come in the first place because she had missed him terribly, and because she knew that he was sad thanks to the updates she received in the letters brought to her by the white rabbit.

"I was wishing for you Alice." He admitted quickly. It was better for him to tell her now and get it over with. If she was going to reject him, he'd rather hear it now than fall into a trap of delusions and false happiness… he had been through too much of that in his life so far and he didn't want it anymore. "I missed you so much… and Alice… Alice Kingsley… I love you!" Unsure of how much she had previously heard, he guessed that a declaration of his feelings would be for the best.

She smiled at him and replied without missing a beat. She had heard him say it when she came in, so it was no shock to hear him say it again. It did, however, warm her heart to the very core. "I love you too Tarrant!"

Hearing those words meant that he no longer wanted or cared about the answers to his previously posed questions. He couldn't care less about McTwisp's motives for bringing her letters, nor did he wonder about how she had gotten here… the only thing he truly cared about was that his Alice was home, in his arms, and ready for a very thorough kissing.

Slowly and gently he kissed the woman laying on top of him, and he continued to do so until they both needed to come up for air. After catching their breath he continued to do so again and again and again. He finally had his Alice back, and he was going to show her how much he missed her. He hoped that when he was done with her, she would never want to leave him ever again.

"Oh my!" a very fluffy white rabbit said as he watched Alice and Tarrant from a window. He felt a bit like a peeping tom, but it was a feeling out powered by his extreme pride in himself for bringing them together. Things had gone better than originally planned or expected, and he was very happy for them. As he turned away from the window and began his walk home, he muttered to himself, "McTwisp you old hopeless romantic…"

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Thanks for reading, and please review! If you'd like to vote on the theme for F or give me your ideas please put it in your review. So far my ideas are : Forest (Tugley wood), Forever, Futterwacken, Farefarren, and Flight. Again thanks so much for reading, and I hope to update again very soon!


	5. E is for Eyes

Many of the inhabitants of Underland had brilliant eyes; large ones, small ones, white ones, brown ones, blue ones, black ones, yellow, orange, red, green, and purple ones… but to Alice the person with the most remarkable eyes was Tarrant Hightopp, the Mad Hatter.

His eyes were quite large, and they always portrayed some kind of emotion. They did not, however, tell his mood through the actual emotion or expression. Rather his eyes showed his feelings through color… he was the world's largest mood ring. Her favorite was when his eyes were green.

When his eyes were green he was in a good mood, and when he was in a good mood she was also in a naturally good mood. She loved the green color of his eyes, just looking into them reminded her of spring, ivy, and fresh cut grass. They made her smile, and she was, at the moment, staring into them deeply.

It had taken a few moments, but he noticed her looking at him. At first he just stared back at her fondly, but after a little time, he asked her a question. "Is there something wrong Alice?" he asked curiously. He was new at relationships, but he was trying his best to learn quickly and keep up with her, though she too was new at the concept of relationships.

He had asked to escort Alice to the Queen's ball months ago, and with her consent had done so. Since then, it had been common knowledge that they were courting. He loved Alice, and he was pretty sure that she loved him back, but as of yet they had not displayed their affections through physical actions. Of course they hugged and held hands, but it was always in strict friendship when they did so. They had never kissed.

"Nothing's wrong." Alice said gently, with a little shy smile. This was the first time since they had began their relationship that they had been alone together for an extended amount of time, and she was enjoying it. "Why would something be wrong?"

He shifted nervously on the love seat they were both sitting on. Moments ago she had been reading a book, and he had been drawing and sketching hats. They had both been absorbed in their tasks and content with silence until now. "I'm not sure… you were just staring so I…"

He was uncertain, and with his change of thought and emotion, his eyes changed as well. They turned purple, the color of confusion.

"There's really nothing wrong Tarrant." She said lightly. She wasn't a fan of the Hatter's confusion; it always caused his madness to be at its worst, and almost always caused things getting broken. It was far worse when the Red Queen was in power, but it was still pretty bad without her being around. "I just like your eyes." She said honestly with a light, shy smile. It was always better to be honest with him.

He looked at her for a moment until his eyes slowly changed back to green. He wasn't sure that he had heard her correctly, had she actually said that she liked his eyes? He was still unsure, but his happiness beat out uncertainty. He smiled at her, she was such an innocent at times. She was an angel, his sweet angel regardless of her skill with the Vorpal blade. She was his sweetheart, and she was currently infatuated with his eyes, so who was he to deny her a better view?

He stood up and walked over in front of her. He kneeled on the floor in front of her, and while doing so, he took the book she had been reading from her lap and set it on the coffee table behind him. He looked into her eyes with such an intensity that she had never before experienced. " 'I just like your eyes' too Alice."

Alice blushed, this was a side of him that she had never seen before. She wasn't sure of how to react, but what she did know was that she liked it. It was strange that she felt her heart leap when he said that to her. He had complimented her before, but right now, it felt different. She felt the need to be closer to him, so resting her elbows on her knees and putting her head in her hands, she put her head at the same level as his… mere inches away.

They were so close that she could see small gold flecks in his green eyes and felt his warm breath on her cheeks. By getting her face so close to his, she had unwittingly challenged him to kiss her. A challenge he had taken up himself upon her return, and a challenge he found himself accepting.

Knowing that this was his first, best, and possibly only chance to kiss her, he leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away. To his relief she didn't pull away, but instead leaned slightly in towards him.

That was all the permission he needed as he pressed his lips to hers. As soon as their lips met for the first time, all the tension between them disappeared. His lips moved slowly with hers until eventually her tongue touched his lip. He was surprised when it happened, but he accepted and soon it was his tongue and hers exploring each other's mouths.

Alice broke the kiss when she giggled; his tongue had tickled the sensitive roof of her mouth. She was smiling and blushing with embarrassment and excitement.

He too was smiling and blushing, where had his sweet innocent Alice learned to French kiss? He couldn't help but smile and laugh with her as her eyes twinkled… the first move had been made, the chess game could begin.

With that thought in mind, Tarrant climbed back up onto the love seat and pulled Alice into his lap. They had much to discuss, plenty of time, and a whole future of kisses ahead of them.


	6. F is for Forever

Sorry this took so long. Updates are going to be crazy until December, but here's F and I promise G will be up very very soon! Thanks to all the keep following Alphabetical Alice, and thanks also to all who have picked it up along the way. Please give me your ideas for H, because I'm a bit stuck...

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"Please don't leave me again Alice…" Tarrant said as he held her in his arms as if it would keep her from ever leaving his side. He was holding her close in a tight embrace so that she was flush against his body. He could feel her breath on his neck, and he was so very happy that she had returned to him.

"How could I leave you again when I just got back?" She asked her hatter as she allowed herself to get lost in his loving grip. She had just returned to Underland for the first time since leaving so many years ago. When previously she had been just an eighteen year old girl on the brink of adulthood before, she had taken five years to mature before returning to the place she felt the most home. She was now twenty three years old, and looked like a fully matured young woman. She herself hadn't noticed the way she had changed, but as soon as the Hatter had gotten his first glimpse of her, he had seen so many changes in her.

He himself, however, had barely changed at all. Time and aging never seemed to work quite right in Underland, and while people did age there, it was at such a slow rate for adults that Alice couldn't see a single change in his five years. "I don't know why you left in the first place…" He said gently, trying to get the point across while avoiding hurting her feelings. "Of course I don't want you to leave at all, and without knowing why you left me, I don't know how to make you stay other than to beg, and begging only seems to work so well…"

She snuggled into his arms a bit further and absorbed to comfort through his touch. It felt so good to see him again, and it was just the best feeling to be in his arms. The last time she had been in Underland it had been all business and little pleasure, but now that she was here again, there was an ember of a freshly beginning love that she wanted so badly to stoke and strengthen. She had high hopes that the small ashy ember that was there, would soon become a blazing fire… after all, Tarrant was the only man she had even considered thinking about in such a way over the last five years. She could scarcely believe that before she left he had thought that she would forget him. Still regardless of how she felt, she had left him so abruptly that she felt she did have a bit of explaining to do. "I only left so that I could take care of some unfinished business… I didn't want to leave you or the others."

He had known that all along, but still couldn't help himself but wish that she had never left him at all… after all, he had feelings for her…feelings of great strength that he had never had for another person let alone a young woman. "And we didn't want you to leave…" He replied still holding on to her as if both of their lives depended on it. He had one hand on her back and the other tangled into her hair, gently wrapping and unwrapping straw colored strands around his fingers the same way he had dreamt of for so long.

"I know…" She responded frowning sadly, knowing now that her abrupt and sudden departure had hurt him deep down in an emotional way. "I should have stayed a little longer before leaving… but I couldn't have, and I'm back now…"

He heard her words and knew she was meaning to comfort him, but they weren't exactly working. He had so many questions, but one was predominate in his mind of madness, and it found its way to his tongue faster than the others. "I'm glad you're back Alice… I missed you so very much, as did Thackery and Mali, and Chess… but no matter how much we missed you, if we miss you again, it will only hurt more. So if you're back…" He pulled away from her with a strange and sad look on his face, "You're back… but for how long? How long will it be before the pain comes back Alice?"

His words tore at her heart and smashed it into pieces, she could only guess that it was the same feeling he had undergone when she left. After all, the feelings of sadness she was receiving were only the second hand radiations from his original pain. She wished that she had never hurt him, and wanted so badly just to reach out and hold him… but the odd look on his face told her that doing so was not the solution. He didn't want false hopes… he wanted the truth and desperately needed to hear some good news. "The pain is never coming back Tarrant…" She replied using his given name as if it would prove the sincerity of her words.

"Promise me?" He said unable to help himself from asking, needing to know that it was promised to him.

"Yes Tarrant… I'm staying… I promise." She felt like crying that he needed so much reassurance, but she kept it in for fear of upsetting him with her own distraught feelings.

He walked back close to her and pulled her up into a hug even tighter than before. His lips were brushing her ear, and he was so close to her, that she could feel every inch of his body pressed against hers. It was a delightfully foreign feeling, and she knew it was improper to feel as such but in a world as mad as Underland she knew there would be no repercussions even if there was someone around to see them. His voice was thick and raspy as his tone changed from his usual cheery tone to his very Scottish brogue. "Promise me a forever." He said rough and lusty against her ear, so close that she could feel his hot breath moving her hair.

She was overwhelmed with the sudden change of atmosphere and couldn't help but focus on the words he had spoken… he hadn't asked her to promise to stay forever nor had he asked her to promise that the pain would go away forever… he had simply asked her to promise him a forever… but those words held such a weight. 'Promise me a forever.' He had said, and as far as the meaning went it seemed as if he wanted her to promise herself to him forever… that she would never leave him again, and would always stay by his side as a friend… and by the connotations and body language he was using, she could tell that it wasn't just a friend he was looking for. She felt out of breath at the realization of what he wanted her to respond, but the danger and weight of the words, especially with him, made up her mind for her. "I promise you a forever."


End file.
